Lucky
by detective-sweetheart
Summary: She didn't think that any girl could ever hope for as much as this...


_A/N: Before I say anything else, let me first say that CI is not mine, and that this was cowritten by The Confused One. And then that this is what happens when we think about the premiere...yet again. _

Pulling up to her house, Bobby took a deep breath. Alex had spent a few weeks in the hospital. She had finally gotten released, and he was feeling a lot more relief. He was feeling more whole and like things were getting closer to normal. Parking, he looked over at Alex. Watching her for a moment, he quietly asked, "Are you ready for this?"

Alex eyed him and then sighed, shaking her head. "Not really," she admitted. "It…just feels odd being back home."

He nodded in understanding. The last thing he wanted to do was push, but he knew she needed this. Meeting her eyes, he replied, "I know. Just...remember...I'm right here."

And there he had been since that first night in the hospital, Alex mused wryly. She glanced over at him, a faint smile crossing her face as she did. "Thanks."

Bobby gave her a reassuring smile. He didn't know what he'd do without her. This was the least he could do. Her kidnapping had been a major reminder of how much he needed her, how much he loved her. Taking a deep breath, he assured her, "You'll be OK."

"Yeah, well, I'd better be. Wouldn't want this new guy to think I have a record of being incompetent," Alex replied, smirking."

Bobby instantly scoffed, "You, incompetent? Never." He gave her a small smile.

She shook her head, biting back the impulse to laugh at him, as she pushed her door open. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"  
With a nod, Bobby met her around the front of the car. Pulling out the new key, he watched her stare at the new door. He explained, "We, uh, broke your door down when you went missing. Your brothers and I put a new one up for you. We also, uh, did a couple of other things. We wanted things to be right when you came home." Slipping the new key into her hand, he added, "And you have new locks."

This time, she laughed. "You didn't have to do that; I'd have taken care of it," she said. "But I'm glad you did."

Shaking his head, Bobby looked at the ground. He insisted, "No. I did have to take care of it. It's...my fault all of this happened to begin with."

Alex snorted and stepped inside, motioning for him to follow her, which he did. "This is _not_ your fault," she insisted. "Not one of us could've seen this coming."

Bobby swallowed hard. Taking a deep breath, he insisted, "It is, Alex. I...should have known what Jo was capable of." He took a shaky breath. Finally meeting her eyes again, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Alex. I'm so sorry."

"If you apologize one more time, this physical therapy's going to go straight down the drain, because I _will_ smack you. It's not your fault. Hell, one might even go so far as to say it was mine; I didn't have to leave the squad room that night, but I did."

Bobby closed his eyes. Shaking his head, he rubbed his face with his hand. "It was two am. You were supposed to go home. I should have gone home. Hell, if it hadn't been for my...second wind you might have gotten home earlier, and she wouldn't have surprised you."

Alex didn't answer. She had already crossed the room to the birdcage, where a bright yellow canary sat there, chirping happily. She watched it for a moment, before turning to face her partner, grinning.

"You got me another bird?" she said.

With a nod, Bobby commented, "Yeah. I didn't want the birdcage empty when you got back."

"She's beautiful," Alex said absently, opening the cage and allowing the bird to hop onto her wrist. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Smiling, he leaned back against the wall and enjoyed watching Alex play with the bird. He finally replied, "She doesn't have a name, yet. I think she needs one."

"Mmhm," said Alex, her eyes still focused on her new bird. "You know, I'm starting to think I owe you one for all this."

Shaking his head, Bobby insisted, "It's the least I could do. You don't owe me anything, Alex."

"Well, if you think of anything, let me know." Alex returned the bird to the cage and sighed. "What else don't I know about?"

Swallowing hard, he admitted, "Your, uh, bathroom. I, uh, had a couple of things changed for you."

She looked at him with raised eyebrows and started off down the hallway. He followed, just in time to see her pushing the door open.

"A door," she said, looking at the shower, and thought momentarily of that instant where the nurse had pulled the curtains around them at the hospital that first night. "Bobby, I…" She cut herself off and sighed. "You have no idea how many sleepless nights you just saved me."

Truth was, he had an idea. He had seen enough PTSD cases. He would do anything to make her life easier, to make things better for her. He explained, "I...wanted everything to be exactly what you needed when you got back. I didn't want you to have to worry about anything."

"Here's to hoping that I won't have to," she said quietly. "I…I have no idea how to thank you for this."

Shaking his head, Bobby insisted, "Don't thank me. You don't need to thank me. I just needed to do what I could for you. You have no idea how...terrified I was. There isn't a word out there to describe how relieved I am that you're OK."

"Huh," said Alex. "And here I was thinking that _I_ was supposed to be keeping an eye on _you._"

Bobby smiled. A part of him never wanted to let her out of his sight again. He confessed, "I always try to keep an eye on you. I worry."

"Yeah, you worry too much," Alex said dryly. "I'm just hoping this new captain of ours doesn't stick me on ass duty after this."

Bobby arched his eyebrows and answered earnestly, "You're too good for a desk."

"You never know," Alex replied, shrugging. She glanced at her watch and sighed. "Suddenly I'm in need of something to eat."

With a nod, Bobby suggested, "I, uh, bought...food, and I'm cooking."

Alex glanced over at him and followed him into the kitchen, shaking her head. "You really don't have to."

With a nod, Bobby insisted, "Yes, I do." Turning to face her, he smiled softly and suggested, "You should...get to know your new bird. Maybe name her." When she smiled, he continued, "Dinner is a surprise."

"A surprise." said Alex, and when he nodded, she smirked. "We'll see about that."

But she walked off to go and get to know her bird like her partner had suggested, taking it out of the cage again, and watching as it flew around the room.

"You know, I'm starting to think I could get used to this," she called into the kitchen. "You might wanna be careful, Goren."

Bobby smiled. Truth was, he could get used to this too. And a huge part of him wanted to get used to this. He wanted this. Continuing to smile, he teased, "I think I can handle it."

"Cocky, aren't we?" came the reply, followed by a loud chirp from the bird. Alex laughed. "I think this one agrees with me."

Bobby laughed. Pulling out pots and pans, he playfully replied, "Traitor bird. I guess I'm officially outnumbered."

"What d'you mean, traitor bird?" Alex asked, momentarily sticking her head into the kitchen. "It's _my_ bird, not yours."

: Bobby smirked. Looking over at her, he replied, "Out of my kitchen. And she's a traitor bird, because I bought her."

Alex made a face at him. "She loves me more than she loves you. I'm the one that'll be taking care of her and she knows it."

Bobby laughed. He was happy to see how much she liked the bird. She hadn't asked about what exactly had happened to Polly, and Bobby wasn't interested in telling her where he had found the poor thing. He finally teasingly replied, "That's great. I buy her and save her, and she takes to you." When he could hear an inaudible comment from Alex, he smirked and added, "Just the way it should be."

"Damn right," said Alex. "I never figured you for much of a bird person, anyways. Why does it matter?"

He smirked again. He called back to her, "It doesn't. I was kidding, Alex."

"Yeah, I figured as much. What're you doing in there, anyway? It can't possibly be taking this long."

Bobby smirked as he flipped over the fish. Checking his other foods, he replied, "Have a little patience. It takes a little time to cook."

"Don't make me come in there," Alex said warningly. "I don't want you burning down my house, partners or not."

Bobby laughed. He reminded her, "I happen to be a very good cook. Your house is in no danger of burning down."

"It better not be, otherwise I'm crashing at your place 'til I find someplace else to go."

_I really wouldn't have a problem with you moving in at my place permanently._ With a sigh, he assured her, "Understood. Not stop worrying." After a moment, he asked, "You think of a name yet?"

"Not yet. I'm still debating." Alex paused and then went on. "Maybe you should name her. You're the one that bought her."

Stirring the corn, he shook his head and insisted, "No. She's your bird. You get to name her."

"But I can't think of anything." Alex eyed the bird as it landed on top of its cage, still chirping. "Any suggestions?"

No answer came. Curious about her partner's silence, Alex debated as to whether or not she should peek into the kitchen again, and decided not to. The bird chirped again, obviously wanting attention, and she held out her wrist again.

"I've got it," she said, then, as the bird landed on her. "Her name is Lucky."

Bobby smiled. Turning the stove off, he pulled grabbed some plates and silverware. He replied, "I like it."

"Don't you want to know where it came from?" Alex asked, finally daring to look into the kitchen again, and grinning when she did. "You spoil me, y'know that?"

Meeting her eyes, he gave her one of his shy smiles. He replied, "Yeah, well, you deserve to be spoiled." After another moment, he turned back to the plates and added, "Where did the name come from?"

Alex returned the bird to the cage and then walked into the kitchen. "You'd think it was obvious," she said quietly. "I came home, and everything had been taken care of, I have another bird…I have you…" She trailed off and sat down across from him before going on.

"I didn't think any girl could ever be so lucky."


End file.
